1 in 100 Zika-hit moms will have a microcephaly baby: Lancet

The risk of microcephaly is about 1 for every 100 women infected with Zika virus during the first trimester of pregnancy, said a new study published in The Lancet on Wednesday. Microcephaly is a congenital condition in which the newborn has abnormally small head and incomplete brain development. This is the first that scientists have quantified the risk between the Zika virus and microcephaly. The data is based on data from the 2013-14 Zika outbreak in French Polynesia. ``Although the risk of microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection is relatively low compared to other maternal infections, the authors say that the association remains an important public health issue because the risk of Zika virus infection is particularly high during outbreaks, such as the current one in South America,’’ said a press release. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, said their research supported the hypothesis that Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of microcephaly. Co-authorDr Simon Cauchemez has been quoted in the release as saying, "We estimated that the risk of microcephaly was 1 in 100 women infected with Zika virus during the first trimester of pregnancy. The findings are from the 2013-14 outbreak in French Polynesia and it remains to be seen whether our findings apply to other countries in the same way." On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organisation declared the suspected link between Zika virus and microcephaly as a public health emergency of international concern. In Europe and Brazil, about 2 per 10,000 babies are born with microcephaly. Although evidence of the association between microcephaly and Zika virus is growing, the risk has so far not been quantified. The outbreak in French Polynesia began in October 2013, peaked in December 2013 and ended in April 2014. Over that period, more than 31,000 people saw their doctor with suspected Zika virus infection. Co-author Professor Arnaud Fontanet said: "Data from French Polynesia are particularly important since the outbreak is already over. This provides us with a small, yet much more complete dataset than data gathered from an ongoing outbreak. Much more research is needed to understand how Zika might cause microcephaly. Our findings support WHO's recommendations for pregnant women to protect themselves from mosquito bites."